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WB Buys a 'Pontius Pilate' Script About the Man Who Killed Christ

So Warner Bros. may have recently passed on The Dark Tower, but now it seems that the studio has something a bit more controversial up its sleeve. Deadline reports that WB has purchased a script called Pontias Pilate from Woman on Top writer Vera Blasi, a new take on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as told through the eyes of the man who ordered it to happen. The film will follow Pilate's journey as a soldier who gains power under the Roman Emperor Tiberius, but screws up along the way and finds himself desperate for public approval when the time comes to make the choice as to the fate of Jesus of Nazareth.

It shouldn't surprise anyone who closely follows the Hollywood studio system that WB wouldn't take a chance on something as ambitious as The Dark Tower and would instead sign off on a biblical story, since that's the growing trend in Tinseltown right now. I suppose I'm being naive in wanting them to attempt something a bit more ballsy, but we have to remember that filmmaking is a business and that oftentimes the most exciting ideas are the ones that are a bit too risky for them to roll the dice on.

No director is attached to Pontius Pilate yet, but Darren Aronofsky, Ridley Scott,Steven Spielberg, Paul Verhoeven, and even Woman in Black helmer James Watkins all have Bible-based films in various stages of development, and this one could drum up enough publicity from religious groups to cause a bit of controversy and attract more attention to it, which of course would please the studio.

It remains to be seen whether or not the films in this trend will actually continue all the way to the big screen or remain languishing in development hell, but we know for sure that we'll at least be getting Darren Aronofsky's take on Noahcoming to theaters in 2014. As for the rest, we'll just have to wait, and we'll keep you posted about Pontius Pilate and all of the others as we find out more. Thoughts?